Awakening

The calm before...

Feel like I'm more in tune these days  as far as picking up on people's vibes and I'm also better about following my instincts.

Is it because I'm doing more yoga? More reading? The sunshine?

Decided to go to restorative yoga after work since there was no climbing scheduled. Also had my eyes on the pool.

Yoga was yummy and then the tornado siren came on. Thought I heard it then this woman told the teacher that she needed to go because her kids were at home alone. Class also ended early. Raced home and exited my car right before the downpour started.

We elected not to stay at the studio because it only has one level and the wind was shaking the windows so that the we thought it was hailing at one point. There was no indication on the weather app that bad weather was on the horizon. Otherwise, I would have headed home.

Since the weather hemmed me in, I siphoned debris out of the fish tank then finished reading my second yoga book. When I told the 'Fugee that I had planned on coming to the pool, she responded hahahaha...

Also, this weather makes it feel like Friday. Gonna be in for a rude awakening in the morning.

Comments and Notes

How much down time is enough? Don't feel like I had enough of it this weekend but what's new?

A new coworker made my day. She walked somewhere for lunch and was approached by someone who offered to lick her toes for $1 dollar. My husband does that for free she responded. I laughed in earnest. I've heard about this guy but it's been years since someone that I know encountered him...

I'm on my second yoga book, The Bhagavad Gita. I go with the shortened name, Gita; otherwise, I tie up my tongue.

My kitty stickers were getting in the way so I went and got sticky tabs that I like much better. It was cool that the first book that I read was also available on Amazon Prime so that I could make electronic comments and notes.

Super Funny

When I went to deal with a down payment for yoga teacher training, saw one of my fellow yoga peeps, Deena, who likes to "give me the business" when she doesn't see me for a while.

Deena told me how she sets a goal of 20 yoga classes per month; otherwise, she slacks. As she told me that I wondered why she hadn't signed up for training but I, who'd only been to two classes in the last two months, was preparing to undertake an almost year-long training.

Life is "funny" that way, I guess.

Another time when I dealt with a payment, I handed an envelope to the studio owner and the lead trainer, Stacy, said What is that? Your resignation letter? For some reason, I found that super funny. Another comment about seeing me later because I probably had some wall to climb was equally funny...

Recently finished Trevor Noah's book, Born a Crime and really "enjoyed" it. Enjoy gets quotes because it was an intense book. From now on, the books that I will read will have the work yoga somewhere on the cover and a lot of them will be intense too. I will say, though, after taking four yoga classes in one week, I felt much calmer.

It was nice to have my weekend back. Went to Zumba, shopped, cleaned the living room, washed loads of clothes then had pool time with the 'Fugee and that was just on Saturday...

At work today, the staff celebration committee hosted and Eid celebration. To my surprise, my coworker to my right started to put henna on someone. I didn't know she had skills that. I asked her to put a design on me. She kept apologizing because the tube was not cooperating but I had no complaints because I don't apply henna at all and I can't draw.

I can see why henna is used ritually at wedding parties etc.; it's a bonding experience. I had such a nice time talking with coworkers that I don't see regularly. I asked one intern who is super calm and happy if she meditates and she said “No, but I pray.”

Someone made baklava happen. I didn't have any though...

The Sweetest Message

I am not the type of person who comes up with a five-year plan. I do, however, have shorter and softer plans and goals.

Still, yoga teacher training was not in my vision for this year but that's what I was doing this weekend. And, wow, it's been a good but very long weekend. Training started on Friday at 5:30 and went until 9. Saturday and Sunday was another 15 hours or so. I finished grocery shopping around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday and I finished cooking around 8:45 p.m. today.

During lunch today, I headed to this juice place because three people were sick and I picked up something along the way or maybe before then and I wanted to try to nip it in the bud.

Walked into the juice place and this young woman was at the bar. How are you, friend? she asked. Next, she wanted to know my birthday and said that I had the same birthday as her father. She then went on to tell me that she had a hangover (You don't even know..., she said) and I asked her what she was drinking to combat it. Hugs, she answered. So, I gave her one.

Also wanted to pick up cilantro at the international store. It was the one item that they didn't have at the regular store. When I saw how Rooster had covered its egg, I walked myself over and took a picture.

I got the sweetest message from the 'Fugee. Good morning my favorite student. It helped me relax as I was extraordinarily nervous about the practice teaching that we had on the agenda. Wasn't expecting practice teaching on the first weekend.

At This Stage

One of my colleagues will be out of the office for a month so I decided to take a few more days off. Used one of the days to do routine car maintenance. Also stopped by this place because their website said that they run diagnostics on tablets to determine if the battery is gone which was not really the truth.

Also went to exchange a pair of earrings because one of the posts was too thick and made my ear throb. Felt bad about doing that because I had already exchanged a pair of earrings that I decided was too small but I convinced myself that, at this stage in my life, it's important to get what I want. 

With the other day off, the 'Fugee and I explored downtown a bit by eating breakfast there then hanging out in City Garden and walking to the Arch grounds. Whoever is responsible for the new grounds did a really good job; there's such a sense of openness. I, however, don't want to know the price tag.

A Lime Bike at City Garden

Statue of The Scotts at the Old Courthouse

I also wanted to see Amy Sherald's exhibit at the Contemporary Art Museum so from downtown we went to the museum.

Sign, embellished, outside of the Contemporary Art Museum

One of Sherald's pieces to the left...

At some point last week, my left knee was bothering me as well as my right foot. The foot felt like it was going to snap in half or something. In the morning, I dreaded putting my foot on the floor because I knew that I was going to feel all sorts of intense sensations. Interesting, right? 

Magically, on Thursday, the knee and foot issue resolved itself. Thursday was also the start of my time off from work. 

The flower earrings that I wanted...